perfection

for a moment at least …

It would be irresponsible to think that any politician or organization is perfect. But certain political moments can certainly be ideal and worth celebrating. It is a moment when crass partisanship is set aside for the nation’s benefit, the benefit of the many over the few.

This new feature of Thomas comes on an extraordinary day (June 18, 2020) when several actions took place that got our attention and motivated us to recognize these small steps in humanity when they do occur.

They are presented here in chronological order, with the most recent events at the top. Those that first motivated us are at the end.

Enjoy these examples of your Constitution at work!

September 14, 2021

News reports reveal from a book authored by Bob Woodward and Robert Costa that then-Vice President Mike Pence asked former Vice President Dan Quayle if there was any way Pence could honor President Trump’s demand that Pence avoid certifying the 2020 presidential election results when the Electoral College met in the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. Quayle reportedly told Pence: “Mike, you have no flexibility in this. None. Zero. Forget it. Put it away.” Dan Quayle may have saved American democracy as we know it and dealt a final death blow to what appears to have been a coup d’etat by the sitting, electorally defeated president.

july 8, 2020

Supreme Court Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, both Donald J. Trump nominated members to the Supreme Court, voted with the majority opinion to allow the Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr., to have access to the President’s tax returns and corporate records as part of the inquiry into his business and political practices on a variety of fronts. In doing so, both Justices deserve a lot of credit for helping maintain the Supreme Court’s independence from Congress and the White House. That was a vote benefiting the United States of America and our democracy.

june 18, 2020

Chief Justice John Roberts, Jr.

Sided with a narrow majority to ensure that Dreamers, children of illegal immigrants who have essentially known no other country but America their whole lives, are not deported for an action they did not commit. In doing so, the Chief Justice helped demonstrate that Capitol Hill and White House politics are not the Court’s chief objectives when protecting the U.S. Constitution.

justice neil gorsuch

Although very new to the Supreme Court, Justice Neil Gorsuch was predicted to side with a conservative coalition of Justices to deny LGBTQ employees the same workplace protections the Civil Rights Act has afforded other Americans. Justice Gorsuch, after all, was a Donald Trump nominee. The Justice instead went against typecasting and voted with the other side to guarantee equal protection under the law.

mayor jerry demings

Orange County, Florida, has seen a deeply alarming rise in new coronavirus cases that mirror other jumps across the Sunshine State. Governor Ron DeSantis has been ignoring those record jumps in favor of keeping the state open for business despite the growing death toll. Mayor Demings dug in and ordered his residents to wear facemasks in public to help stem the spread. This was not a popular decision to make. It was the right decision for public safety, first - what it means, we believe, when we see the now often misused phrase, “America first.”

assistant secretary of state mary elizabeth taylor

This principled public servant, who has long been considered a valued Republican loyalist, submitted her resignation today to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in protest of the way her ultimate boss, President Donald J. Trump, has been handling the racial injustice protests sweeping the nation. Assistant Secretary Taylor viewed those actions as being opposed to her core principles, thus giving America a fine example, we believe, of what it means to be an American first and a Lincoln Republican next.

walt disney world

One of the year’s biggest moneymakers for Walt Disney World in Florida is its wildly popular “Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. Because the annual event starts daily in mid-August, Disney decided this year to cancel the typically sold-out schedule so as not to add to the spread of COVID-19 among its guests and cast members. Disney puts public safety in a state and nation where our elected leaders are desperately rushing to re-open our commercial markets first.

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